Comments regarding Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC)
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I am very pleased with my experience. I have been searching for a Honey Dijon rose and Chris made available to me one of his four year old roses. I also ordered a Stainless Steel at the same time. Both roses came very well packed in a wood crate. Both roses arrived in bloom and have not stopped growing and blooming. Will happily use them for future purchases.
On Apr 26, 2013, jeepstergrower Thousand Oaks, CA wrote:
Hello, I contacted Chris Gilcrest, Growquest, regarding my interest in purchasing three pistachio trees. Chris came to my house with three very mature pistachio trees that were way larger then i expected. He not only delivered them to my house for no charge, but he walked through my backyard and gave me his advice regarding all my other fruit tree that were recently planted. He spent about an hour and a half giving me ideas and helped save two of my fruit trees. Chris also gave me information on where to plant the trees, where to get soil and what to use in fertilizing the trees.
A month or two later i purchased two avocado trees from Chris. Again the trees were very well priced and showed up much larger then i ever expected. I previously purchased two avocado trees from Barron brothers in camarillo, ca. They were substantially smaller and died. They gave me crap info in taking care of the trees and clearly wanted me to make the purchase and get out the door. When chris brought the avocado trees he also gave me two tango Mandarin trees for free. I have to say i have never seen a grower be so generous. No grower does that.
I know chris has gotten a lot of negative reviews, but he has been incredible for me and my family. The trees that he has provided us are way beyond what i expected. ,About a year ago, i purchased blueberry bushes from a place in new jersey called Dameco Farms. When the bushes arrived they died days later. I was so angry and the owner basically told me to F off. So i know when you order something online you are taking a chance. The owner from Dameco Farms, said to me that if i can get trees from a local grower then i am a fool to buy on line. He said you are always taking a chance when you purcahse on line and the plants/trees are delivered. This was a $100 lesson that i learned.
If you are able to have chris delivery your trees to your house, you will be very happy. I will always do business with chris Gilcrest in the future.
thanks chris for all the advise, incredible trees and professionalism.
steve
I have done business with Chris and Growquest for the past 7 years. I have had nothing but good experience with them. In fact, on my latest order, Chris went out of his way and found 6 roses for me to match the 40 roses we purchased from him years ago. I searched all over the country for them prior to Chris finding them for me and personally delivering them. That is service beyond compare. Chris, my wife and I thank you very much. I would recommend you without hesitation to anyone.
On Mar 28, 2013, Sammysgarden Casas Adobes, AZ wrote:
I recently put an order in with Chris from Growquest for three roses. Chris told me that I could expect the roses in about one week. after 2 weeks I called Chris to tell him the roses where not delivered yet. He was very nice and explained that he was very busy but he would get them out this week. I explained that I had a family emergency and would not be home for the delivery and ask him if he could please wait till the following week. Chris did wait to send the roses till the following week. The roses are in very good condition. I,am very happy with the roses and I will definitely do business with Chris again. Thank you chris
I recently placed an order with Chris from Growquest. We were in contact for a few weeks prior to the deliver, he provided great direction on how to plant to the trees and optimize the growth. Although the deliver was delayed one day, I must say I am very pleased with the quality of the 5 15G Avocado trees delivered.
I'll be doing business again with Chris, and hopefully I can reap a full crop of Avocado trees this season. Thanks for the delivery Chris keep delivering a good product.
On Mar 17, 2013, b_arnold1976 High Point, NC wrote:
I ordered 5 roses from GrowQuest.com. I did my research and Chris had the best selection. I wanted certain roses and he had what I was looking for. Also he has some great YouTube videos. I sent my check because I wanted the best price and I knew I would not be home for a C.O.D order. This was in the winter time when I placed my order and I knew it would be awhile before my order would ship. The weather started to warm up and Chris said my order would be shipping soon. I didn’t hear back from him or get the tracking number. I got worried and saw all of the bad reviews. I e-mailed Chris my concerns. He apologized and told me the situation. He shipped my order directly and threw in an extra rose for the delay. The order arrived as promised. Minus the FireFighter rose but his picker said the quality wasn’t that great and he will find a better supplier and ship that one separate. The root systems on these roses were very nice and they looked like nice sized roses. One rose looked like it was taken out of the pot and had lots of nice soil. I’ve looked at the reviews and it sounds like sour grapes. I don’t know the story behind them but I do know that my experience was good. Chris cares about the product and the customer. He only ships when the weather is good. It says that on his site, that is the second reason I decided to order from his site. I could pay $30 plus dollars for a rose at my local nursery and I didn’t want to spend $17 for a dead rose delivered via the mail. Again I was very happy with my order. Be patient, wait for the right weather conditions, send Chris a nice e-mail and he will update you. He is a good honest guy.
I was looking for a non fruiting olive tree at a fair price and Chris came through with an attractive 36" box wilsonii, delivered and at a great price!
I ordered 18 Floribunda rose bushes from Mr. Gilcrest about three weeks ago and he hand delivered them to my home yesterday. The roses exceeded my expectations--the plants were older than I thought they would be, had many, many strong canes and their root systems were large and healthy. The plants arrived in a moist condition. Upon arrival of the plants Mr. Gilcrest asked to see the site they would be planted on and I took him to the back yard and showed him the hillside I had prepared for their arrival. He was pleased to see the holes I had dug for the bushes were quite large and would easily handle the excellent root system the bushes had. He then showed me two methods for planting the bushes that was different than I was about to do. He planted a couple of them for me and showed me how to water them in deeply. Using his method I was able to plant all 18 bushes in under two hours. (Since I had previously prepped the holes and the 50/50 top soil and mulch combination.) He states he is going to follow up with me in April to see how the bushes are coming along. He feels they will thrive very well on the sloop and produce a mass of pink Passionate Kisses Floribunda roses year after year. I wish to thank Mr. Gilcrest for his time, teaching and labor he didn't need to do any of those extra things. He gave me excellent prices, also.
I ordered 4 roses on 8/11/2012 and just took delivery on 2/2/2013.
I must say the process was confusing. I placed the order but was not being asked for any payment. I was not sure if it went through or not. Therefore, I ordered a few more from other suppliers.
On 12/31/2013, I received an email telling me that the order was being processed, and they also lowered the price and asked me if I am still interested in this order. I replied that I am still interested and was told that my order would be arriving in next week. But the order did not arrive.
On 1/24/2013, I sent an email asking about the order.
On 2/1/2013, I was contacted that my order was in and they will drop it off the same day that evening and asking me for a payment when it was delivered. I already had other commitment so I left the company a check. But no one showed up and I got another email telling me that it got too late at night and the delivery will happen the next day.
On 2/2/2013, the roses showed up in my front door and they took the check. They also thrown in a free rose. The roses look nice and healthy. Better than the ones I ordered from other online store.
Anyway, it works out ok for me. For some, it might not be acceptable and will give a neutral or even a negative.
Well, all i can do is share my very positive experience with Growquest.
I've made 3 orders for total of 4 avocado trees and am very pleased. Ironically I probably would not have ordered if I would have read all these posts but alas, I did and would not hesitate to order again.
Chris actually came by tonight personally to help me plant the last one - a 24" Sir Prize.
I now have:
Oldest to newest
Hass
Multi avocado
Lamb Hass
2 Sir Prize
These trees look so much more vibrant and healthy than the ones I've seen at Home Depot..
Chris, if you read this, thanks again and it was nice meeting your family. I pray things get better for you brother, everyone deserves a second chance.
Anyone who reads this please contact me if you have any questions.
I ordered 3 avocado trees on Wednesday & they were delivered on Friday. I had a quick response time by Chris when I both emailed and called him. I will do business with him again.
As far as the negative comments, I don't know how some can be so critical about not receiving a refund and then conduct an online business bashing campaign which basically slows or even halts a company's income. These are cruel tactics and not at all constructive or helpful comments & that is why I was able to give Chris the benefit of the doubt. I believe issues in the past have been fixed and the company will work hard to meet any order that is fairly brought forth to them.
On Apr 19, 2012, RobbiDawn Fredericksburg, TX wrote:
I must admit that I am very happy that I had not read or heard anything negative about Growquest before placing my order. My Mom had talked about a hard to find rose she really wanted. The only source that had exactly what she wanted was Growquest. I placed my order and based on the small order size, I was directed to a separate payment site via email invoice. Not a problem, actually good tracking in that way. Paid and promptly received an email letting me know when my Mom could expect her shipment. It arrived exactly when promised - expertly crated and actually was a far superior product than expected. I've even received a follow up email confirming that we were satisfied - and yes, we are - more than satisfied!! The full experience has been exemplary. Professional with a friendly, personal touch... No complaints whatsoever!!
We purchased several plants from Growquest Gardens. The first was a bareroot rose and we were satisfied with the delivery time and condition of the bareroot. We later ordered 2 more of the same roses. They were sent as potted plants because of the time of year. The one rose and several buds beginning to open were yellow and the rose we had ordered were to be a pale pink. We e-mailed our complaint and we were assured that if the roses, when they were opened, were still yellow they would be replaced--until we were satisfied. It was rainy when the roses arrived and several days-a week-in the sun the roses turned the pale pink we had expected. The company was responsive and helpful and we would recommend this company. Our roses are healthy and lovely.
On Apr 11, 2012, hlthcr2000 Chadds Ford, PA wrote:
Special ordered 4 Sunny Knockout Rose Trees. Chris said he would ship Friday and I would get them today and they arrived right on time. The box is more like furniture and I expect the kids to use it as a boat or spaceship. The trees were very well wrapped- moist but not wet. I have never received roses packed better. It is too bad others have not had a good experience. I order A LOT of plants online and this was as good any anything I have ever bought. Price was still less than a local garden center but no one had sunny knockout trees last year and I just had to have some!
September/October 2011 Read all the negative comments about Chris and Growquest and it's hard to believe we're talking about the same guy. I know Chris has been through some tough personal times but he is now in a healthy and loving relationship which has changed him, as it does us all. Chris created a garden of cold tolerant avocado trees for me, (6) from 15 gallon to a 45 gallon tree. He also put in a citrus garden of a blood orange, a meyer lemon and a satsuma mandarin. In addition he planted 10 bouganvilla which are thriving and beautiful. I have already picked 3 avocados from my Zutano tree and they are huge. Watching him plant all of these was a real education and one I'm hoping to benefit from in the months ahead. My experience with Chris has been very positive and I woud recommend him to anyone who wants a little more than your average nursery experience.......Expander
On Oct 15, 2011, JohnVmpla Santa Barbara, CA wrote:
Contacted Chris after seeing his YouTub videos. I wanted a Lamb-Hass and a Reed Avocado tree to compliment my Hass' in order to get near full year avocados. He delivered to Santa Barbara the next day, and the trees are great (both have fruit on them) and he was both courteous and full of excellent tips on growing the trees. I will be getting a few citrus trees from him in the near very future. No issues at all. I recommend his nursery.
Chris and I emailed back and forth over 50 times answering all my dumb questions. He gave me great advice on planting my second Lamb/Hass successfully. The first one i killed with Miracle grow.
He is a bit hard to nail down on delivery day/time but he made it right with discounting my second tree even though I killed it. I think that is good business. I would buy from him again.
I live in Simi Valley, CA. After checking out the website, my wife and I decided to order two trees from GrowQuest. I emailed my order on 8/29/2011 and received a call that evening . We had ordered a 15 gal Washington Navel Orange and a 15 gal Sir Prize Hass Avocado. The prices were good and the delivery charge was very reasonable. During the week I had asked if he knew when he could possibly deliver the trees, he indicated he was targeting Saturday Sep. 3rd. He showed up right on time as promised with both trees. The trees were in very good shape and we moved them into the backyard. I explained to Chris that we were having real problems getting trees to grow on our "hill". He looked around for a few minutes, asked me a bunch of questions and then proceeded to explain everything we had been doing wrong. He explained how I could correct several of the issues and showed me how to do several things, we even took a few videos. Our experience with Chris / GrowQuest has been a very positive experience and I would use him again.
On Sep 1, 2011, knife977 Desert View Highlands, CA wrote:
I order some olive trees from Chris almost a year ago and didn't recieve them. I understand that Chris has had some problems with his life but I believe he is trying to get back on track. Chris contacted me a few days ago about my order and has has delivered the trees that I ordered with an additional tree as payment for my long wait on that order. I think Chris is really trying to get his good name back by slowly making good on his promises.
On Aug 19, 2011, fabmv Mission Viejo, CA (Zone 10b) wrote:
Satisfied with my purchase and the service. In mid-July I ordered a #15 Lamb Hass avocado tree that was delivered without a hitch. After purchase I received an e-mail from Chris offering follow-up assistance in the event I needed it. Don't think I'll need it as I have made extensive use of the planting and care video clips on his website.
When I placed my order, I was aware of the negative comments posted on Dave's Garden but decided to take a chance just the same as no local nurseries could get the #15 Lamb Hass for me.
I had a very positive experience and I would order again from Growquest.
I am a landscape designer in the Phoenix, AZ metro area. I ordered from Chris several hard to find roses for a very particular client a couple months ago. Finding these roses was hard mostly because June is not rose season in Phoenix. It is not too hot to plant, but too hot to risk shipping by any other method than refrigerated truck. This shipping method made it very difficult to arrange because refrigerated trucks don't just come straight to your door, they have a regular route that they service. Between Chris and I (mostly Chris), we figured out a way to get this done and all the roses arrived safely, beautifully, and promptly. My client was very happy at the quality of the product. I was impressed at the quality, but also the effort that Chris took to find a solution and the expert way he packaged the roses. My expereince was very good.
On Aug 10, 2011, roadsterdude Bakersfield, CA wrote:
Grow Quest was able to provide me with roses that i was unable to find in my home town.
not only did Grow Quest have what i needed but they also delivered them half way to my home town, saving me time and money.
the roses i received were in good shape and delivered when they said they would be.
Thanks you Grow Quest!
Randy
I ordered one "Memorial Day" rose and it came on time. This specific type was hard for me to find anywhere else. The rose plant is very healthy and vigorous and has a magnificent smell.
On Jul 26, 2011, illinisack Eden Prairie, MN wrote:
After ordering from Chris two Rose trees, I was concerned that I was not going to receive the orders. Communication from Chris at first was poor. However, in the end, he came through! He shipped out both rose trees as stated and provided me tracking information. The trees arrived packed well. They finally bloomed last week, and they are beautiful! I understand that Chris' communication in some cases needs to improve, but for me at least, he now has his act together...
Overall, great experience with the purchase of two 15 gallon avocado trees (Hass and Surpize). Chris called me back immediately following my initial questions (on availability, price and rootstock), then gave me some great advice on which trees would be best for our climate and then delivered the trees in a timely manner. All I had to do was write him a check! When he delivered the trees, I asked if if could take a look at a couple of my trees that were not doing so well (previously purchased from another nursery); he did, and had some thoughts on how to get one of the trees going again (soil amendment) and pointed out that the other had some damage from a fungus and would be difficult to" revive". I have recently purchased another tree from him, this time a Lamb Hass, in order to complement my collection. Another easy and reliable transaction. Thanks Chris and I look forward to purchasing more citrus trees over the next few years!
On Jul 17, 2011, DMacGregor Jacksonville, FL wrote:
I ordered 2 green rose bushes from Growquest in Feb. or March of 2010. It took some time,however, I received the roses in April. On Growquest website it states that they will not send out plants if it is not the correct time for planting. In today's world it is nice to see someone care enough about his product to give it a fighting chance. Today the rose bushes are full, healthy, and producing buds weekly. THANK YOU GROWQUEST!
This particular company was great when I had ask for 2 new roses when the other died in a month. He sent me two new rose bushes and they are doing very well now. I didn't have to send the old ones back. He believed me. I would go back again and purchases more rose bushes from him.
Thank you Chris for getting me the 50 Olive trees. They are doing great and the price was amazing. Looking froward to doing more business in the near future.
On Jul 16, 2011, fjohn56 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA wrote:
Spent considerable time on there website. Found the videos very helpful. Emailed & spoke to Chris several times before purchase. Trees are beautiful and delivered on time to rancho palos verdes, ca by Chris & his son two weeks ago. Planted as he recommended and they are healty & green. Ordered a hass 24" box which is about 8 feet tall with 80-100 avacados, a 24" reed which is 7 feet tall and very wide bearing about 80-100 avacados, a 24" box washington navel orange which is filled with fruit, and 3 ea 15 gallon citrus (Sir Prize avacado, cara cara, and moro blood orange, all healty and bearing fruit as promised on delivery. The 15 gallon blood orange is exceptional with a 2" stem at base. Wrote Chris a check upon delivery. Chris is a weath of knowledge and gave me lots of tips regarding inproving the trees I currently have planted. Warning-his trees are large and heavy. If you have to move them far you will need several guys to move these. We screwed 2 x 6's onto the 24" boxes and it took 4 guys to move them to the planting sight. Currently talking to Chris about another purchase very soon.
I ordered a Hot Cocoa Tree Rose. It was shipped carefully. The rose was a beautiful specimen which filled out and bloomed within a month. Gorgeous healthy specimen!
I wanted to post my personal experience with Growquest. I have ordered from Growquest twice. Once about 2 to 3 months ago, and again, just this last week. I had not read any of the reviews on Dave's Garden before I placed my first order. I actually contacted Chris directly both times, and told him what I was looking for, since with each order, I was looking for some rather difficult to find items. First time I was looking for a Sir Prize avocado and Koko Loco roses, both of which I was having a very hard time locating in my local area (N. San Diego county). Chris sent me an extremely large Sir Prize (6' tall) and two very nice bare root Koko Locos, which were out of stock or simply not available anywhere (was told by several nurseries that this rose was unable to be procured from the grower at this time.) My Sir Prize is doing extremely well, probably better than just about any of my other 7 avos, and the Koko Locos are established and just now sending out their first buds. Order came right away, and was delivered right to my door. Paid by credit card, which was not charged until the items were delivered.
Second order which I submitted to Growquest on Monday and I received yesterday were for 6 roses, 2 each of Honey Perfume, Honey Dijon, and About Face. They came in 5 gal containers, were very well established, very healthy, with at least 4 to 6 large main canes, and several were blooming. I paid the driver with a check upon delivery. Delivery was free for me because he was able to time it with another larger delivery in my area, and I was able to coordinate meeting the driver at a mid-way point very close to my house, which I really appreciated. And, Chris tossed in free starting fertilizer, which I was not expecting, as well as a free rose, honoring an older sales promotion which I didn't expect, either. And, it's a rose that is no longer in production, which is an added bonus.
My experience with Growquest has been a very good one. Chris has worked hard to fill my pretty difficult orders, and has worked to give me good prices, free or reduced delivery charges and very good service. I'm a Master Gardener, and do some consulting gardening work for my development, and no, I'm not a personal friend of Chris, nor know him in any other capacity other than as a vendor I purchased from. I plan on ordering more roses from Chris in the future, and expect the same level of service I've experienced so far, which has been very good.
Hey Everyone - I had a death in my family and decided it would be nice to send my relatives something to plant in memory of my Aunt. Chris from Growquest went above and beyond to help me. He has been honest, responsive and excellent to work with. I had a concern because I read the negative postings but I decided to give Chris a chance and I'm happy that I did. He takes pride in providing excellent customer service and great quality of products. I will definitely do business with Chris in the future. Helen
I have only very positive comments to make about my experiences with GrowQuest, their plants, and the owner, Chris.
I have been ordering roses through GrowQuest, will only order roses through them, and will continue to do so for the rest of my landscaping needs. I first found GQ several years ago, when I over-hauled old front yard, designed a new one, then proceeded to do all of the work myself. I really wanted roses that would represent, or have a meaning to, my family members. Through the GQ website and emails with Chris, I was able to find such roses! And WHAT roses these are. They are brilliant, beautiful, healthy, and produce incredible flowers! And I have a huge back yard project I am working on, and have all kinds of rose plans.
What I truly appreciate about GQ is Chris' commitment to his plants. While I ordered the 6 rose plants on line at a specific time of year, I had to be ready to wait until the weather in California cooperated for their shipment. That particular year, we had some non-stop, blistering heat, and he was not going to ship the roses and compromise them. I totally understood and respected this decision. I didn't freak out. They are his plants, his business, he knows what he is doing, whereas, I have dealt with other online growers/sellers that would ship whenever, regardless of weather, and the plants suffered for it. In the end, such ordeals only made for more headaches, red tape, delays..
I put a Don Juan in fall '09 and it is doing wonderfully, and guess what, I will be ordering 4 more plus when I can for the back yard project.
Please do not dismiss this nursery! I am very disgusted at all of the negative and petty laundry people are airing through this review site. It sounds like some gardeners did not read the fine print that is all over the website about when he ships, why, how etc.
Although delivery took longer than anticipated, the product received was of superior quality and Chris went to the added trouble of delivering the tree personally and without cost. I would definitely use this vendor again,
What Chris Gilchrist of Growquest did for me: I can't thank him enough. I had about 50 avocado trees and was not pleased with the look/health of the trees or their production. After an extensive search I was recommended Chris. His overall knowledge of horticulture and avocados in particular was immediately apparent. He took soils and water samples and analyzed the leaves. He made comments on our irrigation system, suggested painting branches white for sun-burn protection and even sprayed the trees during a heat wave to protect them. I ended up replacing about 10 "problem" trees and purchasing about 25 new ones from Chris. His avocado knowledge was staggering. We discussed the existing trees that were producing and what additions he thought would work well in our environment. He searched and found types of trees I never knew existed. He would search back/hidden areas of other growers and my typical Haas/Fuerte etc. "normal" types went from 5 varieties to 11. After analyzing the soil and water he recommended, purchased and helped begin the new/proper fertilization program. The bottom line is that my older trees and my new trees are all flourishing. New health, growth and fruit is apparent.
Chris's knowledge doesn't end with avocados. He commented on my overall landscaping. His knowledge of oak trees was amazing - I realized I was overwatering under the oaks because of the wrong plants. With his suggestions several large areas have been redone with low-water, adaptable plants under the ancient oaks.
Then I purchased several citrus trees and he analyzed the condition of the existing trees making the appropriate recommendations.
Next I purchased raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. These are all flourishing.
I thought I knew a bit about plants but I quickly learned that I was the pupil and he was the teacher.
Chris transformed my landscaping and I can't thank him enough. I have referred him to several other clients and they are all incredibly pleased.
You can't go wrong with Chris Gilchrist - he is the doctor.
Our experience with Growquest Growers was excellent. Not only did our order for 1500 lady bugs arrive in less than two days, we were able to keep the happy lady bugs in their bag in the fridge for a week without any problems. Chris went out of his way to help our daughter learn about the nature and care of lady bugs for her science experiment. We were very pleased to find Growquest, as the lady bugs are not available locally during this time of year. We could not have received any better customer service. Thanks.
We contacted Growquest Growers on the internet and submitted an order for 2 olive trees, one which is hard to acquire. Chris Gillcrest had the trees we wanted in stock, so we purchased them from him; He personally delivered the trees when he said he would and they arrived in very good condition. The olive tree expert in Napa Valley, whom we know personally, saw the trees and said they were of exceptional quality and size for the price we paid. We are so pleased that Chris could provide these large size olive trees for our eating enjoyement (after they're cured, of course).
